05 Digital Priorities:

05 DIGITAL PRIORITIES: HARNESS THE GOOD, LIMIT THE HARM 29 There is no doubt that the futures of a rapidly growing number of children will be increasingly affected by digital tech‌nology. Children already account for a substantial percentage of the global networked population, and their share will only increase in the near future as internet penetration reaches ever further into regions with the most rapidly growing share of children and young people. More digital devices and online platforms, not fewer, will be available for their use. ICTs will continue shaping children’s lives, for better and for worse, just as emerging tech‌nologies like the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence help transform the digital landscape at a global scale. The way children will continue to experience these transformations varies widely in ways that reflect the way they also experience ‘the real world’. Not surprisingly, the most disadvantaged and marginalized are most likely to be excluded from reaping the benefits of the internet and connectivity and most likely to experience harm from the negative aspects of tech‌nology. Other critical factors – including gender, education status, traditional norms, language and location – all play a role in the impact digital tech‌nologies have in children’s lives, for better and for worse. There is no shortage of international instruments, guidelines, agreements and principles that deal with issues such as internet freedom, openness, net neutrality, accessibility and respect for human rights. What is needed are not more guidelines, per se, but agreed principles and priority actions that recognize the responsibility we share to protect children from the perils of a digital world and to help every child benefit from the promise of connectivity. This is not only in the best interests of children. In a digital world, it is also in the best interests of their societies, which can only benefit from children who are digitally literate, able to navigate among the myriad opportunities and risks of connectivity and chart a course to more productive futures. The action points outlined here are by no means exhaustive, but together, they reflect a core principle that should guide policymaking and practical action in the digital sphere: Respect and protect the child. 1. Provide all children with affordable access to highquality online resources Digital access is increasingly a determinant of equal opportunity for children, enabling them to benefit from access to information, knowledge, employment opportunities, community participation and social engagement. However, children face a range of barriers to accessing the internet and, if they do manage to get online, making the best use of online resources. The State of the World’s Children 2017 calls for the following actions to expand children’s access to high-quality online resources: Bring down the cost of connectivity. Market strategies that foster innovation and competition among service providers can help lower the cost of connecting to the internet. Integrating fibre-optic cables into existing infrastructure can also lower the cost of expanding connectivity. And providing tax and other incentives for the telecom industry to bring down the Opposite: Adolescent workshop participants in Timor-Leste use icons to illustrate barriers to online access.